Joint board set December for SAF pull out from South Sudan

By Isaac Vuni

December 8, 2007 (JUBA) — The spokesman of SPLA, General Kuol Dim reiterated that SPLA is fully committed in implementing the Joint Defense Board (JDB) resolutions adopted on 6th December 2007 which stated that SAF redeployment to north as of 1956 border stood should be completed by end of December this year.

The statement revealed that the current chairman of JDB, Lt. General Oyai Deng Ajak Chief of Staff of SPLA has on arrival to Juba yesterday briefed the six-member committee on the out come of their 11th JDB meeting held in Khartoum.

Delivering SPLA Press statement over Southern Sudan Television last night, Gen Dim said The JDB met under the chairmanship of Lt. General Oyai Deng Ajak, who is also the current chair of JDB and it was attended by nine members from both SPLA and SAF while SAF delegation was headed by General Hag Ahmed, the Joint Chief of Staff.

That the meeting was cordial, open and frank as the interest of nation was put first and more importantly the interests of the CPA was put above everything else and came out with the following resolutions:

1- Formation of a committee comprising of six brigadiers to draw up laws and regulations for Joint Intergraded Units (JIU) to be presented to the next meeting of JDB scheduled for December 14th this year.

2- The JIU to be enforced by two officers from the rank of brigadiers from the two operations of the SAF and the SPLA in order to draw a plan for the protection of oil installations and the committee is to immediately take their work as from December 8th and to submit its reports to the JDB chair within a period of one week.

3- The committee to use everything within its disposal to complete its mission.

• That SAF to provide helicopter for the committee logistic.

• The current forces in oil installations that comprised mainly of SAF urgently to be informing about the mission of the committee and to co-operate and facilitate the movement of the committee.

• The chairman of the JDB is mandated to take any appropriate action recommended by the committee.

• The dateline setup for the completion of deployment of JIU,SAF and SPLA including all other areas of Nuba Mountains, southern Blue Nile is January 8th 2008 before celebration of the third anniversary of the CPA every thing concerning deployment must have been completed.

• SAF is also too redeployed from Abyei where they are currently occupying a primary school in the center of Abyei town. And if there is any SPLA in the north they should immediately be redeploy to south by SPLA authorities.

• Regarding reduction of SAF forces in both Blue Nile and southern Kordofan, it was agreed that it has to be discussed in the next meeting of the JDB scheduled for January 5th 2008 to enable JIU complete its deployment.

Meanwhile the committee of SPLA is to coordinate the necessary supports within its area of operation

The JDB to find solutions within ten days to issue related with lack of water
That immediate join training of JIU forces should start.

General Dim disclosed that SPLA and SAF differed over presentation of JIU in security committee in Khartoum but SPLA insisted on JIU representation because it is a symbol of unity and as such must be part parcel of the security committee in Khartoum.

“This time round, we say they must conduct a join training SAF and JIU mixed together”, explained Gen. Dim

We also find out that there was no proper coordination and exchange of security information between the JIU, SAF and SPLA so the JDB resolved that it has to be enhanced.

Nevertheless, JDB is committed to resolve all the security arrangement protocols concerning deployment of SAF to the north as of January 1st 1956 border stood, declared the statement.